Top 5 Natsume Games Available For The Holidays

Natsume is known for family-oriented games and all that jazz. So to help families come together over virtual entertainment, Natsume has updated their complete list of their top games for 2008, which are currently available for the Nintendo DS and Wii.

"This has been a great year for Natsume as we continued our Harvest Moon series with three brand new Harvest Moon adventures this fall.
Add to that some adorable educational fun with Hi! Hamtaro: Ham Ham Challenge and our hugely popular new original IP, Princess Debut and there is truly something for everyone on your list," said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume.

Yes, well I'm sure casual gamers will have fun. Sorry hardcore gamers, Natsume does not fulfill the need of interactive violence equivalent to the likes of Gears of War 2 or Resistance 2. So without further ado, Blend Games brings you the top 5 Natsume games line-up, which is currently available for the holiday season.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (DS) $29.99
As if Harvest Moon games weren't happy enough, there's now an island dedicated to the happy-go-lucky life of farming. This particular game sees gamers starting off with an abandoned farm, a few seeds and some freaking hefty determination. It's up to gamers to rally in some animals, take care of the crops and find the perfect marriage partner. And for the female gamers out there who want to wrestler in a hubby, the option is there for you too. The game also offers up some multiplayer competition via Wi-Fi connectivity and allows players to compete for prizes. Nice. The game is currently available for the Nintendo DS for the meager price of $29.99

Princess Debut (DS) $29.99
Ohh, this is one of those games hardcore fanboys would cringe at and cover their eyes while screaming in agony. However, this new IP from Natsume seems to have won over the female gaming community in spades. And that's not a bad thing to accomplish. This DS exclusive lets gamers hone their dancing skills, play dress up and find the perfect prince to have a ball with, literally. The game sets players in a race against the clock as they have less than 30 days to prepare for a ball. It's like Cinderalla for anime fans. Touch screen activities, multiple endings and a branching story allows for plenty of replay and that's not including all the fancy motion-captured dance moves players will have to master. You can play dress up with Princess Debut for the Nintendo DS, which is currently available at local retailers.

Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS) $29.99
This game takes place some years after the original game, where the evil Sechs Empire has been defeated. However, evil never seems to rest long in the world of video games. Plus, Evil'R'Us provides financing for evil schemes to any evil-doer who happens to come up with some ridiculous plan to overthrow the good guys. Anyway, Rune Factor 2 sees gamers building a farm for monsters, helping out the townsfolk and picking up Good Guys'R'Us points by taking on quests. Seriously, though, this game is actually kind of cool with it's multi-generational story development and character progression. Players will start the game as one character and continue on as the character's son, etc., etc. Weird and cool. I'm not complaining, though. Rune Factory 2 for the Nintendo DS is currently available for purchase and it's something that is definitely worth a looksy.

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii) ) $49.99
Another Harvest Moon game...yes, two games out of a list of five. You can never say Natsume doesn't do their darnest to please their fans. Anyway, in Tree of Tranquility it's all about the Mother Tree dying and a small island town dying along with it. Bummer, eh? Well, it's up to players to restore the tree's essence, help the town, develop a farm, find a life-mate, save animals, nurture the land and find some gosh-darn tranquility in the process. Really, this game is kind of the uber-Harvest Moon of Harverst Moon games. The game also contains multiplayer mini-games, festivals and tons more stuff that would take to long to list here. The game is currently available, and exclusive, for the Nintendo Wii.

Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge (DS) $29.99
Yeesh, what a way to end the list. Anyway, this children's game was made to make learning fun. And we all know how hard it is to make learning seem remotely fun...well, except for the teenage boys who seem to have fun learning a lot from some all-too-interested female teachers. And now that the inneundo is done and out of the way -- Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge for the Nintendo's portable game system offers up plenty of features and functionality that is easy-to-use for kids of all ages. The interactive software learning tool contains word comprehension, math skill exercises, and memory challenges in more than twelve mini-games. This "brain-training" game is the perfect tool for parents to inculcate video gaming with learning and education. Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge is currently available for the Nintendo DS.

For more information and news on Natsume games, you can visit the Official Natsume Website, or stay tuned in with Blend Games for more news and updates on your favorite titles.